PLL circuit, communication device, and loopback test method of communication device

ABSTRACT

A controlling unit disposed in a PLL circuit controls a phase interpolator to gradually change a phase shift amount applied to a phase shift signal C_PS by a unit of basic delay amount Δ at a timing predetermined in accordance with a modulation profile of an SSC. Further, the controlling unit controls a total phase shift amount applied to the phase shift signal C_PS output from the phase interpolator in one period of a feedback clock signal C_FB obtained by dividing frequency of the phase shift signal C_PS in a way that a difference between the total phase shift amount and a total phase shift amount in a previous one period of C_FB is always equal to or less than the basic delay amount Δ.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of co-pending application Ser. No.12/500,063 filed on Jul. 9, 2009, which claims foreign priority toJapanese Application No. 2008-196774 filed on Jul. 30, 2008. The entirecontent of each of these applications is hereby expressly incorporatedby reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a PLL (Phase Locked Loop) circuit thatgenerates a spread spectrum clock, and a communication device using thesame.

2. Description of Related Art

A spread spectrum clock (SSC) signal has been generally employed inorder to suppress occurrence of EMI (Electro Magnetic Interference) byelectronic devices. For example, an SSC is generated by modulatingfrequency of a clock signal generated by a PLL circuit or the like inaccordance with a predetermined modulation frequency and modulationdegree. Patent documents 1 to 5 listed below disclose a device thatgenerates an SSC.

Patent document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application PublicationNo. 2006-166049

Patent document 2: U.S. Pat. No. 6,888,412

Patent document 3: Japanese Patent No. 4074166

Patent document 4: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application PublicationNo. 2007-6121

Patent document 5: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application PublicationNo. 2006-211479

An SSC generation device disclosed in the patent document 1 generates,by means of a phase interpolator, a frequency-modulated SSC by advancingor retarding phase of an output clock signal that is generated by aclock generating circuit such as a PLL circuit or the like.

On the other hand, the patent documents 2 to 5 disclose a PLL circuitthat includes an SSC generation function. Among them, a PLL circuitdisclosed in the patent documents 2 and 3 includes a phase interpolatorarranged on a feedback path that supplies an output clock signal of avoltage controlled oscillator (VCO) to a phase comparator or a phase andfrequency comparator for phase comparison with a reference signal. Anoutput clock signal of a VCO is frequency-modulated by periodicallyadvancing or retarding the phase of the output clock signal by the phaseinterpolator, to thereby obtain the SSC. Further, a PLL circuitdisclosed in the patent document 4 generates an SSC by periodicallychanging a delay amount applied to a feedback clock signal by a delaycircuit arranged on a feedback path of the PLL circuit. Further, a PLLcircuit disclosed in the patent document 5 generates an SSC byperiodically changing a frequency dividing ratio of a frequency dividerarranged on a feedback path of the PLL circuit.

When the output of the clock generating circuit is frequency-modulatedby the method disclosed in the patent document 1, a jitter of the SSCtends to be made large because a high frequency jitter component that isproduced by phase control of the phase interpolator is superimposed onthe SSC. On the other hand, the PLL circuit disclosed in the patentdocuments 2 and 3 periodically increases or decreases the controlvoltage of the VCO by arranging the phase interpolator, which is thecomponent for performing frequency modulation, on the feedback path, andfrequency-modulates the output clock signal of the VCO by the controlvoltage that is periodically fluctuated. Accordingly, as the highfrequency jitter component that is produced by phase control of thephase interpolator decays by closed loop frequency characteristics(low-pass filter characteristics) of the PLL, the PLL circuit disclosedin the patent documents 2 and 3 may improve the jitter characteristicsof the SSC.

SUMMARY

In a general PLL circuit, in order to suppress frequency of a referenceclock signal, frequency of an output clock signal of a VCO is divided bya frequency divider, and thereafter the divided clock signal is fed backto a phase comparator. Hereinafter, the output clock signal after beingsubjected to the frequency division that is fed back to the phasecomparator will be referred to as “feedback clock signal”.

Now, the present inventors have found a problem as follows. That is,when the phase of the feedback clock signal is changed in order tochange the modulation degree of the SSC as in the PLL circuit disclosedin the patent documents 2 and 3, the jitter of the output of the VCO,which is the jitter of the SSC, cannot be sufficiently suppressed due toa transient response of the PLL unless the phase change amount of thefeedback clock is appropriately controlled.

The patent document 2 discloses a technique of (1) inserting a phaseinterpolator on a PLL feedback path and generating n clock signals CLK0to CLK(n−1) that are phase-shifted from an output clock signal of a VCOby phase shift amounts that are mutually different from each other, and(2) selecting one of n clock signals CLK0 to CLK(n−1) in an increasingorder or a decreasing order to supply it to a phase comparator. However,the patent document 2 dose not disclose the configuration in which aphase-shifted clock signal is fed back to a phase comparator through afrequency divider, and there is no suggestion to solve theabove-described problem.

Further, the patent document 3 discloses the configuration in whichphase of an output clock signal of a VCO is periodically changed by aphase interpolator and a feedback clock signal obtained by dividingfrequency of a phase-shifted clock signal is supplied to a phasecomparator. However, as will be clear from a modulation waveform shownin FIG. 16 and the description of the patent document 3, the PLL 110circuit disclosed in the patent document 3 increases or decreases atotal phase shift amount applied to a feedback clock signal in oneperiod of the feedback clock signal by 1 Δ (1 dt in the patent document3) or 2 Δ compared with a total phase shift amount in a previous oneperiod. In such a control of the phase shift amount, a jitter of the SSCmay not be completely suppressed due to the influence of the transientresponse of the PLL. Note that Δ is a basic delay amount of a phaseinterpolator (basic delay time in the patent document 3). The basicdelay amount corresponds to a minimum time difference between n clocksignals generated by the phase interpolator. Accordingly, “phase shiftamount” used in the description has a time dimension.

A first exemplary aspect of the present invention is a PLL circuit thatgenerates a spread spectrum clock (SSC). The PLL circuit includes aphase comparing unit, a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), a phaseinterpolator, a frequency-dividing circuit, and a controlling unit. Thephase comparing unit receives a reference clock signal and a feedbackclock signal and generates a control voltage in accordance with a phasedifference between the reference clock signal and the feedback clocksignal. The VCO at an oscillation frequency in accordance with thecontrol voltage generates an output clock signal as the SSC. The phaseinterpolator generates a phase-shifted signal obtained by shifting phaseof the output clock signal by a phase shift amount selected fromplurality of phase shift amounts mutually different by integral multipleof a basic delay amount. The frequency-dividing circuit generates thefeedback clock signal by dividing frequency of the phase-shifted signalto supply the feedback clock signal to the phase comparator. Thecontrolling unit controls the phase interpolator to gradually change aphase shift amount applied to the phase-shifted signal by a unit of thebasic delay amount at a timing predetermined in accordance with amodulation profile of the SSC. Further, the controlling unit controls atotal phase shift amount applied to the phase-shifted signal in oneperiod of the feedback clock signal in a way that a difference betweenthe total phase shift amount and a total phase shift amount in aprevious one period of the feedback clock signal is always equal to orless than one basic delay amount.

In the PLL circuit according to the first exemplary aspect of thepresent invention, in generating the feedback clock signal by dividingthe frequency of the output clock signal, a phase step width generatedin the feedback clock (difference between a total phase shift amount inone period of the feedback clock and a total phase shift amount in aprevious one period) can be suppressed to be equal to or less than onebasic delay amount. Thus, a smooth transition of the modulation degreeof the SSC is made possible while suppressing the jitter of the SSC.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other exemplary aspects, advantages and features will bemore apparent from the following description of certain exemplaryembodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a PLL circuit according to a firstexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an SSCcontroller included in the PLL circuit shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a timing chart regarding the PLL circuit shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a graph showing a jitter distribution simulation result of anSSC generated by the PLL circuit shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 shows a configuration example of an SSC controller included in aPLL circuit according to a second exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 shows a timing chart of the PLL circuit according to the secondexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a communication device according to thethird exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a PLL circuit included in the communicationdevice shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a waveform diagram of a clock signal output from the PLLcircuit shown in FIG. 7; and

FIG. 10 is a waveform diagram of a clock signal output from the PLLcircuit shown in FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The specific exemplary embodiments to which the present invention isapplied will be described in detail with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. The same components throughout the drawings are denoted by thesame reference symbols, and the overlapping description will be omittedas appropriate for the sake of clarity.

First Exemplary Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a PLL circuit 1according to the first exemplary embodiment. The operation of the PLLcircuit 1 to generate a spread spectrum output clock signal C_OUT willnow be described. The PLL circuit 1 periodically increases or decreasesa phase difference between a reference clock signal C_REF and a feedbackclock signal C_FB input to a phase comparing unit 10 by advancing orretarding phase of the output clock signal C_OUT of a VCO 14 by a phaseinterpolator 15 that is arranged on a feedback path. In accordance withthis periodical fluctuation of the phase difference, a control voltageVc supplied from the phase comparing unit 10 to the VCO 14 periodicallyincreases or decreases, and the output clock signal C_OUT isfrequency-modulated. In the following description, each component shownin FIG. 1 will be described.

The phase comparing unit 10 receives C_REF and C_FB, and generates acontrol voltage Vc in accordance with the phase difference between C_REFand C_FB. In the configuration example of FIG. 1, the phase comparingunit 10 includes a phase comparator 11, a charge pump 12, and a loopfilter 13. The phase comparator 11 generates a phase difference signalindicating the phase difference between C_REF and C_FB. Note that thephase comparator 11 may be a phase and frequency comparator that is ableto pull the frequency. The charge pump 12 operates in accordance withthe phase difference signal, and supplies electric charge to the loopfilter 13 or drains electric charge from the loop filter 13. The loopfilter 13 integrates the electric charge (current) supplied from thecharge pump 12 to generate the control voltage Vc.

The voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) 14 oscillates at an oscillationfrequency in accordance with the control voltage Vc, and generates anoutput clock signal C_OUT. The frequency of the output clock signalC_OUT of the VCO 14 is modulated as the control voltage Vc thatperiodically repeats increase and decrease in accordance with thefluctuation of the phase difference between C_REF and C_FB is suppliedto the VCO 14.

The phase interpolator 15 receives the output clock signal C_OUT that isoutput from the VCO 14, and shifts the phase of C_OUT by a phase shiftamount selected from among Nr phase shift amounts ΔP0 to ΔP(Nr−1)mutually different by integral multiple of a basic delay amount Δ. Then,the phase interpolator 15 supplies a phase-shifted clock signal(hereinafter referred to as phase shift signal) C_PS to a firstfrequency divider 16. Now, the basic delay amount Δ is a value(T_OUT/Nr) obtained by dividing the period T_OUT of the output clocksignal C_OUT by Nr. In short, the basic delay amount Δ corresponds to aphase resolution of the phase interpolator 15.

Further, the phase interpolator 15 operates in accordance with a controlsignal S_UD supplied from an SSC controller 18. The control signal S_UDis a signal that indicates the phase shift amount that should be appliedto C_OUT. For example, the control signal S_UD may be a digital signalthat indicates the phase shift amount by its signal value.Alternatively, the control signal S_UD may be a pulse signal. In thiscase, the phase shift amount may be represented by the number of pulsesor pulse width.

When the control signal S_UD is an UP signal indicating that the phaseis advanced, the phase interpolator 15 advances the phase of the phaseshift signal C_PS. When the phase of the phase shift signal C_PS isadvanced, the phase of the feedback clock signal C_FB is also advanced.Accordingly, the phase comparing unit 10 judges that the oscillationfrequency of the VCO 14 is higher than the frequency of the referenceclock signal C_REF (hereinafter referred to as reference clockfrequency) F_REF, so as to decrease the control voltage Vc. As such, theoscillation frequency of the VCO 14 decreases, and a down-spread SSC isgenerated. On the other hand, when the control signal S_UD is a DOWNsignal indicating that the phase is retarded, the phase interpolator 15retards the phase of the phase shift signal C_PS. When the phase of thephase shift signal C_PS is retarded, the phase of the feedback clocksignal C_FB is also retarded. Accordingly, the phase comparing unit 10judges that the oscillation frequency of the VCO 14 is lower than thereference clock frequency F_REF, so as to increase the control voltageVc. As such, the oscillation frequency of the VCO 14 increases, and anup-spread SSC is generated.

The specific configuration of the phase interpolator 15 may be any knownone. For example, the configuration disclosed in FIG. 10 or 11 of thepatent document 1 may be applied to the phase interpolator 15. Further,as disclosed in the patent documents 2 and 3, the VCO 14 may be formedas a ring oscillator to generate Nr clock signals C0 to C(Nr−1) havingmutually different phases. In this case, the phase interpolator 15 mayselect one clock signal from among the Nr clock signals C0 to C(Nr−1)generated by the VCO 14 in accordance with the control signal S_UD. Thefirst frequency divider 16 and a second frequency divider 17 dividefrequency of the phase shift signal C_PS to generate the feedback clocksignal C_FB. More specifically, the first frequency divider 16 dividesfrequency of the phase shift signal C_PS to generate a control clocksignal C_CNT. The second frequency divider 17 further divides frequencyof the control clock signal C_CNT to generate a feedback clock signalC_FB. Accordingly, when a frequency division number of the firstfrequency divider 16 is “m” and a frequency division number of thesecond frequency divider 17 is “n”, the period of the feedback clocksignal C_FB is “m×n” times larger than the period of the phase shiftsignal C_PS.

The SSC controller 18 generates the control signal S_UD in accordancewith a predetermined SSC modulation profile in order to control thephase shift operation by the phase interpolator 15. Note that the SSCmodulation profile includes a modulation frequency F_SSC and a maximummodulation degree D_SSC, for example, and defines a spectrum and awaveform of the output clock signal C_OUT. Note that an indicationfrequency of UP/DOWN by the control signal S_UD is determined inaccordance with the frequency division number m×n of the frequencydividers 16 and 17. This is because, as will be described later, theindication of UP/DOWN by the SSC controller 18 is determined based on aperiod T_FB of the feedback clock signal C_FB. The period T_FB isdefined by the frequency division number m×n.

The SSC controller 18 controls the total phase shift amount applied tothe phase shift signal C_PS in one period T_FB of the feedback clocksignal C_FB so that the difference between this total phase shift amountand a total phase shift 320 amount of a previous one period is alwaysequal to or below the basic delay amount Δ. To be more specific, whenthe total phase shift amount applied to the phase shift signal C_PS inone period T_FB(j) is equal to 11 basic delay amounts (11 Δ), a totalphase shift amount applied to the phase shift signal C_PS in the nextone period T_FB(j+1) is made equal to 12 or 10 basic delay amounts (12 Δor 10 Δ).

In the following description, the configuration example of the SSCcontroller 18 will be described. FIG. 2 shows the configuration exampleof the SSC controller 18. In FIG. 2, a stage counter 180 is a counterthat counts the number of pulses of the control clock signal C_CNT andoutputs the current stage number SC(k). The stage counter 180 increasesor decreases the stage number SC(k) by one when the number of pulses ofthe control clock signal C_CNT has reached a predefined number.

The stage here means a period in which one modulation degree is appliedfor the output clock signal C_OUT, and the modulation degree of theoutput clock signal C_OUT is revised for each stage. In other words, themodulation frequency F_SSC of the output clock signal C_OUT is definedaccording to the duration time of one stage and the total number ofstages. For example, when the duration time of one stage is 30 timeslonger than the period of the feedback clock signal C_FB (hereinafterreferred to as feedback clock period) T_FB and the frequency divisionnumber n of the second frequency divider 17 is 10, the stage counter 180may increase or decrease the stage number SC(k) by one every time thecontrol clock signal C_CNT is counted for 300 pulses.

The control signal generator 181 receives the stage number SC(k) fromthe stage counter 180 and outputs the control signal S_UD indicating thephase shift amount in accordance with the stage number SC(k). As issimilar to the example above, considering a case in which the frequencydivision number n of the second frequency divider 17 is 10, the feedbackclock period T_FB is ten times longer than the period T_CNT of thecontrol clock signal C_CNT. Accordingly, in this case, the controlsignal generator 181 may output the control signal S_UD indicating thephase shift amount in accordance with the stage number SC(k) for eachten pulses of the control clock signal C_CNT.

By the way, frequency dividers may be generally formed with a counter. Afrequency divider using the counter counts the number of pulses of theinput clock signal by the counter to reset the counter value and outputthe pulse signal as the counter value reaches the predetermined numberin accordance with the frequency division number. Thus, the countervalue of a counter 171 embedded in the second frequency divider 17 maybe supplied to the SSC controller 18. As such, the size of the circuitof the SSC controller 18 may be reduced. However, this circuitconfiguration is only available when the reset periods of the SSCcontroller 18 and the counter 171 embedded in the second frequencydivider 17 are synchronized with each other.

Further, if the SSC controller 18 is able to deal with a high-frequencyclock, the first frequency divider 16 may be omitted to operate the SSCcontroller 18 by the phase shift signal C_PS.

Now, the operation of the PLL circuit 1 will be described with referenceto a timing chart of FIG. 3. Note 380 that, in the description regardingFIG. 3, the following values will be used as the specific example ofeach parameter.

Reference clock frequency (F_REF): 30 MHz

Reference clock period (T_REF): 33.33 ns

Reference frequency of output clock (F_OUT0): 1.5 GHz

SSC modulation frequency (F_SSC): 32.15 kHz

SSC modulation period (T_SSC): 32 μs

SSC maximum modulation degree (D_SSC): −5000 ppm

One stage period: 1 μs=30×T_REF

Resolution of phase interpolator 15 (Nr): 64

Frequency division number of first frequency divider 16 (m): 5

Frequency division number of second frequency divider 17 (n): 10

A waveform (A) shown in FIG. 3 shows output clock frequency F_OUT, whichis the frequency of the output clock signal C_OUT. Part (B) in FIG. 3shows time in a microsecond unit in accordance with the stage period.One microsecond, which is one stage period, is 30 times larger than thefeedback clock period T_FB. In other words, one stage period includes 30pulses of the feedback clock signal C_FB.

In the example of FIG. 3A to 3G, the phase shift amount in the 16-thstage where the modulation degree is maximum is 16 times (16 Δ) as largeas the basic delay amount Δ. In this stage, the phase of the phase shiftsignal C_PS is advanced by 16/Nr for every feedback clock period T_FB,or every 50 pulses of the phase shift signal C_PS. Accordingly, themodulation degree in the 16-th stage is, as shown in the expression (1)below, −5000 ppm. Part (C) in FIG. 3 shows the phase shift amount(number of UP/down) for each stage 410 designated by the control signalS_UD.

$\begin{matrix}{{{- \frac{1}{m \times n}} \times \frac{16}{Nr}} = {{{- \frac{1}{50}} \times \frac{16}{64}} = {{- 0.005} = {{- 5000}\mspace{14mu}{ppm}}}}} & (1)\end{matrix}$

In the first exemplary embodiment, when the modulation degree of theoutput clock signal C_OUT is revised, the SSC controller 18 suppressesthe maximum value of the phase step 415 width generated in the feedbackclock signal C_FB to one basic delay amount Δ. To be more specific, theSSC controller 18 controls the difference between the total phase shiftamount applied to the phase shift signal C_PS within ten-pulse period ofthe control clock signal C_CNT and the total phase shift amount appliedto the phase shift signal C_PS within the previous ten-pulse period tobe 1 Δ or zero. Note that the ten-pulse period of the control clocksignal C_CNT corresponds to one pulse period (one period T_FB) of thefeedback clock signal C_FB.

Further, parts (D) and (E) in FIG. 3 show an enlarged view of thecontrol signal S_UD (part (C) in FIG. 3) around tenth to twelfth stages.Parts (F) and (G) in FIG. 3 show the phase difference between C_REF andC_FB when the stage change is occurred. In summary, as shown in parts(D) to (G) in FIG. 3, the difference of the phase shift amount of thefeedback clock signal C_FB between adjacent stages is Δ or smaller. Notethat the phase difference of the feedback clock signal C_FB between theadjacent stages is 2πΔ/(m×n×T_OUT)=2π/(Nr×m×n) radian.

As stated above, according to the PLL circuit 1, when the feedback clocksignal C_FB is generated by dividing the frequency of the output clocksignal C_OUT, the maximum value of the phase step width generated in thefeedback clock signal C_FB to change the modulation degree of the outputclock signal C_OUT can be suppressed to the basic delay amount Δ.Accordingly, the jitter of the output clock signal C_OUT as SSC can besuppressed, and the smooth transition of the modulation degree is madepossible.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing a result of a jitter distribution simulationof the output clock signal C_OUT of the PLL circuit 1. The simulationcondition is as follows.

Reference clock frequency (F_REF): 30 MHz

Total Frequency division number of frequency dividers 16 and 17 (m×n):50

Reference frequency of output clock (F_OUT0): 1.5 GHz

Resolution of phase interpolator 15 (Nr): 64

SSC modulation frequency (F_SSC): 32.15 kHz

SSC maximum modulation degree (D_SSC): −2500 ppm

The graph shown in FIG. 4 is the calculation result of the jittercomponent included in one period of the SSC, and shows a value afterperforming high-pass filter (−3 dB @2 MHz, −40 dB/dec) processing toremove low frequency component of the SSC modulation frequency as ajitter distribution. The result is that Peak-to-Peak jitter is about13.8 ps. This value is close to the phase resolution (about 10.4 ps) ofthe phase interpolator 15.

Second Exemplary Embodiment

In the second exemplary embodiment, description will be made of theimprovement of the phase shift control by the SSC 465 controller 18described above. Note that the configuration of the PLL circuitaccording to the second exemplary embodiment may be similar to that ofthe PLL circuit 1 shown in FIG. 1. Accordingly, description andexplanation of the whole block diagram of the PLL circuit according tothe second exemplary embodiment will be omitted. In the followingdescription, a configuration example and the operation of an SSCcontroller 28 included in the PLL circuit according to the secondexemplary embodiment will be described.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the SSCcontroller 28. The stage counter 180 and the control signal generator181 shown in FIG. 5 are similar to those shown in FIG. 2. A fractionalcounter 280 is arranged between the stage counter 180 and the controlsignal 480 generator 181. The fractional counter 280 generates thefractional stage number SCF(k) in accordance with the stage number SC(k)supplied from the stage counter 180. The control signal generator 181outputs the control signal S_UD showing the phase shift amount inaccordance with the stage number designated by SCF(k).

The fractional counter 280 regularly changes the value of SCF(k) amongSC(k−1), SC(k), and SC(k+1). A variation example of SCF(k) will bedescribed with a timing chart of FIG. 6. In the example of FIG. 6, onestage corresponds to 32 periods of the reference clock period T_REF.Note that, as described in the first exemplary embodiment, a stage meansa period in which one modulation degree is applied to the output clocksignal C_OUT. In the example of FIG. 6, one stage is further dividedinto four sub-stages (part (C) in FIG. 6). Each sub-stage corresponds toeight periods of the reference clock period T_REF. Further, thesub-stage is set across stages at a boundary with the adjacent stage.

The fractional counter 280 changes a decision algorithm of SCF(k) foreach sub-stage. For example, in a sub-stage P1 which is set across afourth stage (not shown) and a fifth stage, SCF(5) includes a valueSC(4) showing the fourth stage and a value SC(5) showing the fifth stagealternately with a ratio of 1:1. In the following sub-stage P2, theratio of SC(4) to SC(5) included in SCF(5) is 1:3. In a sub-stage P3,SCF(5) only includes the value SC(5) showing the fifth stage. Further,in a sub-stage P4, the ratio of SC(5) to SC(6) included in SCF(5) is3:1. In a sub-stage P5 which is set across the fifth stage and the sixthstage, SCF(5) includes a value SC(5) showing the fifth stage and a valueSC(6) showing the sixth stage alternately with a ratio of 1:1.

As stated above, the SSC controller 28 regularly changes the stagenumber supplied to the control signal generator 181 between SC(k) andSC(k+1) around the switch point from the k-th stage to (k+1)-th stage.Accordingly, the phase shift amount applied to the phase shift signalC_PS is changed according to the stage number that is regularly changed.According to such a control, the average value of the phase shift amountthat is regularly changed is reflected on the clock frequency of SSC,whereby the smooth transition of the modulation degree of SSC canfurther be made possible. For example, in FIG. 6, the phase step widthbetween sub-stages is temporarily Δ/4.

Third Exemplary Embodiment

FIG. 7 shows the configuration of a communication device 30 according tothe third exemplary embodiment. In FIG. 7, a PLL circuit 3 has theconfiguration similar to that of the PLL circuit 1 of the firstexemplary embodiment described above. However, as shown in FIG. 8, thePLL circuit 3 includes a line and a terminal to supply the phase shiftsignal C_PS generated by the phase interpolator 15 to a transmittingunit 301.

The transmitting unit 301 transmits a data signal such as SATA (SerialATA) or the like, for example. The transmitting unit 301 is arranged soas to be able to receive C_OUT and C_PS supplied from the PLL circuit 3,and is operated by any one of the two clock signals selectivelysupplied. The switching of the operational clock signal supplied to thetransmitting unit 301 may be made possible, for example, by a switch, ajumper pin or the like operable from outside the communication device30. Further, switching of the operational clock signal supplied to thetransmitting unit 301 may be performed in accordance with a mode switchsignal input from outside of the communication device 30. On the otherhand, the receiving unit 302 receives the data signal such as SATA orthe like, for example. The receiving unit 302 operates by C_OUT suppliedfrom the PLL circuit 3. Note that shown in FIG. 7 is the transmittingunit 301 and the receiving unit 302 configured to transmit and receivedifferential signals. However, the transmitting unit 301 and thereceiving unit 302 may transmit and receive single end signals.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show waveform diagrams of C_OUT and C_PS obtained by acircuit simulator. FIG. 10 is a waveform diagram obtained by enlarging apart around 21 microseconds of FIG. 9. As will be clear from FIGS. 9 and10, while the frequency of C_OUT is modulated at a predeterminedmodulation period, the frequency of C_PS is not modulated, and anaverage frequency of C_PS is basically in the reference frequency F_OUT0(1.5 GHz) of C_OUT. This is because, as the modulation degree of theoutput clock signal C_OUT in a negative direction is larger, the phaseinterpolator 15 greatly advances the phase of C_OUT to generate thephase shift signal C_PS. In other words, the phase shifting by the phaseinterpolator 15 operates to cancel the frequency fluctuation of theoutput clock signal C_OUT.

The operation mode to operate the transmitting unit 301 with the phaseshift signal C_PS is effective in performing loopback test of thecommunication device 30. The communication device 30 performs theloopback test using a spread spectrum clock signal C_OUT and anon-spread spectrum clock signal C_PS that are concurrently generated.

The loopback test is performed by supplying the non-spread spectrumclock signal C_PS to the transmitting unit 301. On the other hand, thereceiving unit 302 is operated by the spread spectrum clock signalC_OUT. Then, the output signal of the transmitting unit 301 is loopedback to be received by the receiving unit 302.

If both of the transmitting unit 301 and the receiving unit 302 areoperated with the spread spectrum signal C_OUT 580 in executing theloopback test, only the evaluation of the synchronous system where theoperation clocks of the transmitting unit 301 and the receiving unit 302have the same frequency can be made possible. On the other hand, thecommunication device 30 is able to operate the transmitting unit 301with the non-spread spectrum clock signal C_PS. Therefore, theevaluation of the receiving unit 302 in an asynchronous system where theoperation clock of the receiving unit 302 is not synchronized with thatof the transmitting unit 301 can be easily performed.

It should be noted that a signal subjected to wave shaping by a low-passfilter or the like may be supplied to the transmitting unit 301, insteadof supplying the phase shift signal C_PS itself.

By the way, the configuration that is newly employed in thecommunication device 30 shown in the third exemplary embodiment, whichis the configuration for selectively supplying the spread spectrumoutput clock signal C_OUT or the phase shift signal C_PS output from thephase interpolator 15 to the transmitting unit 301, may be broadlyapplied to the communication device including the PLL circuit having thephase interpolator arranged in the PLL feedback path including the PLLcircuit disclosed in the patent documents 2 and 3. In other words, theconfiguration that is newly employed in the communication device 30 maybe applied to the communication device including the PLL circuit thatdoes not control the phase shift amount described in the first andsecond exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

While the invention has been described in terms of several exemplaryembodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the inventioncan be practiced with various modifications within the spirit and scopeof the appended claims and the invention is not limited to the examplesdescribed above.

Further, the scope of the claims is not limited by the exemplaryembodiments described above.

Furthermore, it is noted that, Applicant's intent is to encompassequivalents of all claim elements, even if amended later duringprosecution.

What is claimed is:
 1. A communication device comprising: a phase lockedloop (PLL) circuit that comprises: (a) a phase comparing unit thatreceives a reference clock signal and a feedback clock signal andgenerates a control voltage in accordance with a phase differencebetween the reference clock signal and the feedback clock signal; (b) avoltage controlled oscillator that oscillates at an oscillationfrequency in accordance with the control voltage and generates aspectrum-modulated output clock signal; (c) a phase interpolator thatreceives the spectrum-modulated output clock signal and generates aphase-shifted signal obtained by shifting phase of thespectrum-modulated output clock signal; (d) a feedback path thatsupplies the phase-shifted signal or a signal obtained by dividingfrequency of the phase-shifted signal to the phase comparing unit as thefeedback clock signal; and (e) a controlling unit that periodicallychanges a modulation degree of the spectrum-modulated output clocksignal by controlling the phase interpolator to change a phase shiftamount at timings predetermined in accordance with a spread spectrumclock (SSC) modulation profile; a signal receiving unit that operatesupon receiving supply of the spectrum-modulated output clock signal; anda signal transmitting unit that is capable of receiving both of thespectrum-modulated output clock signal and the phase-shifted signal or ashaped clock signal which is obtained by shaping a waveform of thephase-shifted signal, the signal transmitting unit being operated by thespectrum-modulated output clock signal, or the phase-shifted signal orthe shaped clock signal that is selectively supplied.
 2. Thecommunication device according to claim 1, wherein the signaltransmitting unit is configured to transmit an information signal afterbeing operated by the phase-shifted signal or by the shaped clocksignal, and the information signal is looped back from the signaltransmitting unit to the signal receiving unit to input the informationsignal to the signal receiving unit.
 3. The communication deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the phase interpolator generates aphase-shifted signal obtained by shifting phase of thespectrum-modulated output clock signal by a phase shift amount selectedfrom plurality of phase shift amounts mutually different by integralmultiple of a basic delay amount.
 4. The communication device accordingto claim 1, wherein the controlling unit controls a total phase shiftamount applied to the phase-shifted signal in one period of the feedbackclock signal in a way that a difference between the total phase shiftamount and a total phase shift amount in a previous one period of thefeedback clock signal is always equal to or less than one basic delayamount.
 5. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein themodulation profile of the SSC includes a modulation frequency.
 6. Thecommunication device according to claim 1, wherein the modulationprofile of the SSC includes a maximum modulation degree.
 7. Thecommunication device according to claim 1, wherein the phase comparingunit includes a phase comparator, a charge pump, and a loop filter. 8.The communication device according to claim 7, wherein the phasecomparator may be a phase and frequency comparator.
 9. The communicationdevice according to claim 2, wherein the information signal is adifferential signal.
 10. The communication device according to claim 9,wherein the differential signal is a Serial ATA (SATA) signal.
 11. Thecommunication device according to claim 1, wherein the controlling unitcontrols a total phase shift amount applied to the phase-shifted signalin one period of the feedback clock signal in a way that a differencebetween the total phase shift amount and a total phase shift amount in aprevious one period of the feedback clock signal is always equal to orless than one basic delay amount, and wherein the controlling unitregularly increases or decreases the total phase shift amount applied tothe phase-shifted signal in one period of the feedback clock between afirst phase shift amount and a second phase shift amount in switching amodulation degree of the spectrum-modulated output clock signal from afirst modulation degree to a second modulation degree, the firstmodulation degree being defined by the first phase shift amountcorresponding to k basic delay amounts, and the second modulation degreebeing defined by the second phase shift amount corresponding to k+1basic delay amounts.
 12. The communication device according to claim 1,wherein the PLL circuit is configured to concurrently generate and tooutput the spectrum-modulated output clock signal and the phase-shiftedsignal or the shaped clock signal.
 13. The communication deviceaccording to claim 12, wherein the PLL circuit is configured toconcurrently output one of the spectrum-modulated output clock signaland the phase-shifted signal or the shaped clock signal to thetransmitting unit, and the spectrum-modulated output clock signal to thereceiving unit.